KUWAIT: Kuwait called on its citizens to avoid traveling over concerns about the spread of the coronavirus, a health ministry official said at a media conference yesterday. The state has not registered any new coronavirus infections over the past 24 hours, Assistant Secretary at the Health Ministry Dr Buthaina Al-Mudhaf said, adding the ministry and other state bodies are continuing to take measures to counter the coronavirus, and the efforts have been fruitful

The total number of people infected with the disease in Kuwait is 45, while no one has died, the health ministry said on Friday. Kuwait will continue to evacuate citizens from heavily-infected coronavirus countries, Mudhaf said yesterday, revealing that 35 travelers coming from Iraq were sent into quarantine, while 52 Kuwaitis arriving from Italy were under health inspection. All border entry points in Kuwait - whether air, land, or sea - are under continuous supervision to detect the coronavirus, she said, affirming that all those infected with the virus are in good health and recovering.

The infected patients are receiving topnotch medical care at specialized facilities dedicated to combating the coronavirus. "There are no fees for expats subjected to COVID-19 tests," Mudhaf underlined, noting that that expats found infected will be dealt with according to the same protocol used with citizens. She urged all citizens and expatriates to follow preventative measures to halt the spread of the virus, stressing that the ministry is following up on all cases. Kuwait Catholic Church yesterday issued a statement announcing that in compliance with health ministry instructions to avoid gatherings, all churches will be closed in the period of March 1 to 14.

Director of the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO EMRO) Dr Ahmad Al-Mandhari commended yesterday Kuwait's concerned authorities for containing the outbreak of COVID-19. At a press conference held by the ministry of health on the sidelines of the WHO delegation's visit to follow up the ministry's actions, Mandhari acclaimed efforts made by the country's government in implementing the organization's recommendations regarding the spread of the coronavirus.

Procedures by Kuwait's authorities include enhancing effective monitoring at all country outlets, hospitals, health centers and screening upon entry of all travelers coming from infected countries. Measures taken by Kuwaiti authorities are to train health workers on the frontlines, deal with contacts and put them in quarantine, isolate confirmed cases and spread public awareness, as well as other measures, Mandhari pointed out. He thanked Kuwait's government for its tireless work in response to the outbreak, as it is one of the signatories of the 2005 International Health Regulations and is working to fulfill its obligations including responding to early detection of public health happenings quickly.

National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem said yesterday that a special session of the parliament and Cabinet that was set for tomorrow to discuss the coronavirus will not be held. The session will not be held due to emergence of a host of new developments of paramount significance, thus an alternative session will be held at the parliament bureau, a date of which will be declared later after coordination with the government, he said in a statement. MPs had requested the special session to discuss government measures against the virus. Ghanem explained that there have been several developments at this level, namely completion of a government evacuation plan, preoccupation of the health personnel with anti-coronavirus precautions and accommodating Kuwaitis coming back home.

Meanwhile, Qatar has confirmed its first case of coronavirus, state media reported yesterday, after a 36-year-old Qatari man who was evacuated to Doha from Iran tested positive. Qatar on Thursday repatriated a number of its citizens from Iran - which is battling the worst outbreak outside China - and confined them to a 14-day period of quarantine, the government said. The health ministry said the infected patient had been admitted to hospital. "This had been expected because of the virus' spread across the region and other countries, alongside the exponential increase in the number of cases," the health ministry said according to the Qatar News Agency.

Iran yesterday reported nine new deaths from the novel coronavirus and 205 fresh cases in the past 24 hours, bringing its overall toll to 43 dead and 593 infected, but it dismissed as "rumors" a report the real death toll was much higher. The Gulf tally stands at 45 cases of coronavirus in Kuwait, 38 in Bahrain, six in Oman and two more in the United Arab Emirates for a total of 21. Yesterday, the UAE also announced it was suspending nursery school classes, and limiting activities at other schools. Authorities said that two planes will also be sent to Iran to collect Emiratis and other Gulf citizens trapped there after air routes were closed.

Cyclists taking part in the UAE Tour are awaiting the results of coronavirus tests from their hotel lockdown, after the event was abandoned Thursday when two staff from an Italian team tested positive. The race organizers said in a tweet yesterday that 167 of those quarantined had received negative results on coronavirus tests, but it did not say whether they were cyclists or staff members, nor how many others were awaiting results.

Saudi Arabia on Friday barred citizens from the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council from entering two of Islam's holiest cities amid fears over the new coronavirus, the foreign ministry said. The decision to halt access to Makkah and Madinah comes a day after the kingdom suspended visas for the year-round umrah pilgrimage, an unprecedented move that has left tens of thousands of Muslim pilgrims around the world in limbo.

The foreign ministry announced in a statement "the temporary suspension of entry of (GCC) citizens to the cities of Makkah and Madinah". The ministry statement did not specify whether this suspension extended to Saudi citizens. But it said the decision excludes "GCC citizens who have been in the kingdom for 14 consecutive days and did not show signs of coronavirus infection". GCC citizens are allowed to enter the kingdom with their national identity document. But on Thursday, the government said they could only enter using their passports and not IDs.

Since it announced its first deaths from COVID-19, Iran has scrambled to bring the outbreak under control, shutting schools, suspending cultural and sporting events and halting meetings of the cabinet and parliament. The health ministry yesterday reported nine new deaths and a 53 percent jump in infections over the previous 24 hours, taking the overall totals to 43 deaths among 593 cases.

That was the highest number of new cases for a single day since Feb 19, when Iran announced its first two deaths in Qom, a center for Islamic studies and pilgrimages, including from abroad. Citing unnamed sources in Iran's health system, the BBC's Persian-language service said on Friday that at least 210 people had died in the COVID-19 outbreak. Most of the dead were in Qom or Tehran, the London-based broadcaster said.

Health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour accused foreign media of spreading misinformation about the outbreak. "Given the rumors and false and contradictory content that may be published from satellite networks or media which are not well-intentioned towards Iranian people, I must say that what we publish as definitive statistics is based on the latest definitive findings of laboratory tests," he said.

Fear of the virus is palpable on the streets of Tehran, which have been less crowded than usual as people apparently stayed at home. Traffic was flowing more freely than normal in the capital yesterday morning, when it usually chokes the streets at the start of the working week. The office of Tehran's governor announced a reduction in working hours in a bid to reduce the chances of the virus spreading, state television reported.

Shops and pharmacies have been struggling to meet demand as people stock up on bleach, disinfectant wipes, face masks and other sanitary products, as well as non-perishable food. "Business… has hit rock bottom because of the coronavirus," said Hadian, owner of one of Tehran's now empty restaurants. "If the government had informed us earlier we would have tried to buy less. Now we have to throw away a lot of food every day and lose money," he told AFP. "With this loss we have to pay the workers and rent too, and this is very difficult for us."

Large posters have gone up on advertising billboards in the capital urging people to follow hygiene guidelines such as washing hands and not touching handrails and other objects in public places. In Bandar Abbas, on Iran's Gulf coast, residents reportedly set alight a clinic rumored to be treating people infected with coronavirus on Friday night. "The unsubstantiated rumor that several coronavirus patients were being held at the clinic… provoked some residents to set fire to it," Fars news agency said, adding the facility denied it had any such patients. Police and firefighters arrived and calm was restored before the blaze was extinguished, Fars reported.

Iran's coronavirus death toll is the highest for any country other than China, where COVID-19 first emerged. One of Iran's seven vice presidents, Massoumeh Ebtekar, and Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi are among several senior officials who have been infected. Jahanpour said yesterday that 205 cases had been detected in the previous 24 hours, increasing the total of confirmed infections to 593. Among the latest infections were a new outbreak of 22 cases in Golestan, a northeastern province on the Caspian Sea coast. - Agencies